Legality
by Hythloth
Summary: Voldemort left behind more than lost loved ones after his death. Faced with a marriage that he did not agree to, Harry is forced back into school. His new wife might be more than he can handle when her ambition could have him become the next Minister of Magic.
1. Is this Legal?

**Is This Legal?**

**Chapter One: Is this legal?**

Harry awoke with a start. Just another dream he told himself.

It had only been weeks since the final battle at Hogwarts, but Harry was having trouble adjusting to life after Voldemort. Being jumpy was perfectly normal, or so he was told by a variety of other people in his life, but he kept having the feeling that he was forgetting to do something, something urgent and very important. It would only take a moment before he realized that this feeling he was having was the same sort of urgency that he had for the last year on his goal to defeat Voldemort. His mind had not yet caught up to reality.

He had spent only a day at The Burrow before moving back to Grimmauld Place. He could never get used to the fast paced style that the Weasley's lived by, even during all his summers living with them. The residue of grief that seemed to linger in an even empty room did not help matters. No matter how often Ron and Hermione would persist that he shouldn't be alone, and that friends and family were meant to cope with loss together, Harry knew that he would be much better off on his own. It was how he was raised after all.

The loss of Fred hit Harry hard, but it was the loss of Remus that hit him the hardest. Harry always felt that when all this was over, he'd be able to sit Remus down and have long talks about his mother and father, followed by tales of Sirius and all the trouble they had gotten up to together. With the loss of Remus, those stories would be lost forever.

Harry sighed as he raised himself off his bed. He found that keeping busy helped keep these thoughts from his mind, but the problem was that there really wasn't a lot to do anymore. The images of everyone that he lost would worm their way back into his thoughts after only a moment; no matter what chore he found for himself.

A tap at the window interrupted him before he could begin to wallow further. It was an owl delivering the Daily Prophet. The newspaper had been getting better since Kingsley took control, but rumors and slander still seemed to find its way into the articles every day.

The first day after the war ended, there wasn't a news article in the whole paper that didn't mention Harry by name. He was just thankful that, so far, he was in their good graces. No one wanted others to think they were on the wrong side of the war, and so Harry was looked to as a hero by all in public.

As Harry caught a glimpse of the cover story, he let out a hollow laugh,

**Hogwarts to Repeat**

_In a press conference early this morning, Minister Shacklebolt has expressed his concerns with the recent state of schooling that was forced onto Hogwarts during the recent years. In an effort to fix this, students of all years are expected to come back and repeat the year over. A variety of issues were brought up by concerned reporters, including whether or not parents were expected to fund eight years instead of seven. Shacklebolt was quick to answer, "We are aware that the economy has seen better days because of the recent wars, and because of this, families are struggling. In light of this, we are willing to fund this years school year for any family with less than a thousand Galleons in their family vaults." In regards to the twice as many first year students than normal, the Minister didn't seem worried, "Hogwarts has held classes for a far larger class than it will see this year. The Professors and the castle are both up for the task."_

_As many of you know, in recent years Hogwarts has not seen a share of qualified professors. With a death eater, a werewolf and…._

Harry stopped reading and put the paper down. The Ministry expected him to go back to school after the year he just had to sit down and get taught by professors three times his age with half as much experience? Harry wasn't sure just how much respect he could find for any of the Professors that weren't on the front lines of the war. Instead, they went home and left people like Fred to fight for them. Harry wasn't allowed to stew in his thoughts any longer as someone started knocking on the front door.

Harry dressed himself quickly and went downstairs but not before grabbing his wand.

"Who is it?" Harry called out.

"It's Kingsley."

Harry opened his mouth to ask a confirmation question. After a few seconds he realized he didn't know Kingsley all that well, but a question finally came to him. "What did you do to stop the Minister from learning about the DA?"

"The DA?"

As Harry gripped his wand, ready for a fight, Kingsley continued. "Oh, Dumbledore's Army! I had to use a Memory Charm on that girl."

Harry opened the door and let him in. "Sorry about that." Harry apologized

Kingsley laughed. "I know how you feel. I still wake up with my wand in my hand."

"Are you here to tell me why you are forcing everyone to go back to school because they spent the last year fighting The Ministry's war?" Harry asked, still bitter from reading the article.

Kingsley winced. "I know it will be hard, but education is the first step into making sure something like this never happens again."

Harry shrugged in response. "Tea?" He offered.

Kingsley shook his head as he sat down in the living room before gesturing that Harry should do the same. Harry accepted the offer and sat down on the couch opposite of the Minister.

"I won't be here long, but I wanted you to hear this some a friend." Kingsley said.

Harry noticed Kingsley hands grasping each other in what was obviously a nervous gesture. A dead weight seemed to settle in his stomach as Kingsley continued.

"I'm still in the process of going through everything Thicknesse was cursed to do and I came across a few questionable documents."

"What kind of documents?" Harry asked as Kingsley paused. Harry was sure Voldemort had made Thicknesse do a lot of bad things; he just hoped all of them could be corrected.

"There were a few marriage documents among the minister's papers." Kingsley explained. "The Minister has nothing to do with marriages you see. I was about to hand them off when I noticed a name on one. Yours."

Harry didn't see why this was important. "So? I'm sure I've received at least a few marriage contracts in the past. Just throw it out." He said; half hoping and half praying that that was the end of it. Kingsley shook his head rapidly.

"No Harry, this wasn't a contract, it was a full blown marriage document. As I read it, it became clear that in the legal sense you are married."

"You can't get married without even knowing Kingsley!" Harry said with his voice slightly higher than normal.

"I know that Harry, and my first assumption was that it was roughly forged in case of your death. Your wife would get your vaults without any questions asked."

"So? Throw it out." Harry demanded.

"I would, and I was going to, until I noticed it was magically bound."

"That can't be legal." Harry said. Kingsley agreed.

"It's not. Anyone caught binding someone to a contract without their agreement would be kissed. It's a flaw in the system that no one would dare to cross. You remember your fourth year? Your name was entered without your permission and in doing so you agreed to a contract without your knowing. It's the same here."

"So you are saying I'm married, illegally." Kingsley nodded. "And I can't just ignore it, because it's a magical contract. An illegal one, I might add." Harry continued, feeling his temper flaring. Once again the magical world found a way to stab him in the back.

"What are the conditions?" Harry grounded out, trying his hardest to not yell at Kingsley, who Harry knew had no part in the matter.

As Kingsley was starting to feel Harry magic in the air, he was quick to reply. "It's pretty basic. You may not have a physical relationship with any other woman, you may not marry any other woman, and you both have to try your hardest to produce an heir by the time you are twenty." Kingsley finished.

"Do you know why someone did this?" Harry asked, trying to think of a reason to marry someone in the middle of a war. Kingsley wasn't sure what to tell him.

"There are various reasons. Because of your name, or your wealth, but I expect it was done by someone who had nothing to lose. You'll have to ask the other name on the contract." Kingsley answered, noticing that Harry was handling the news extraordinarily well.

"We can just divorce" Harry said with a wave of his hand. Kingsley went pale with understanding.

"Harry." He said with what he hoped was a calm voice. "There are no divorces in the Wizarding World."

"What?" Harry yelled as he got up from his chair. "There are plenty of students whose parents had more than one marriage." Harry said in defense. It just didn't make sense that there was a magical way to bind someone to someone else without a way out of it.

"The only way to get out of a marriage is with death Harry." Kingsley said in a whisper, deeply sad that one of the bravest men he knew would be stuck for the rest of his life with a woman he didn't even know. Harry collapsed back onto the couch.

"So she'd have to die." Harry said. Kingsley didn't really like the thoughtful expression on Harry's face.

"Something which you would never do." Kingsley reminded. Harry looked shocked.

"Of course I wouldn't, but I'm not sure if I could say the same for her." Harry said. This was true; Harry didn't know how he would ever get along with anyone who would willingly do something like this to another person. Which would only mean that their marriage would not be one of kindness and respect. Although Harry would never kill someone else in anything but self defense, he couldn't expect the same from his 'wife'.

Kingsley got up from his chair and with a reach inside his jacket, brought out sheets of paper. "I wouldn't ever trust something like this to another, so I brought you the document so you could see for yourself." He said, placing the papers on the table. "Just a warning, if you decide to destroy it; you will lose your magic, and maybe your life." Kingsley said after he saw the fire in Harry's eyes. Kingsley walked to the door. "I'm sorry Harry." He whispered, and then he was gone.

Harry stared blankly at the parchment that contained his future. He already knew that the other name on that parchment wouldn't be any good. Harry expected that Voldemort himself set this up so when Harry died, his wife would receive everything. Voldemort would choose someone who he knew would hand the money right over to his cause. This was not good.

Harry briefly thought that his wife might already be dead from the final battle, but the way Kingsley presented the contract, Harry knew that this was probably not true. Although Harry knew the name of a few Death Eaters and few people in league with Voldemort, he was far from knowledgeable about the many people who he could possibly be married to.

Harry grabbed his marriage contract from the table, ready to open it when the fireplace lit up and a face appeared. Harry recognized the face at once as Ron.

"Hermione and I are coming through." Harry nodded. It was common practice for the three friends to let the others know before using the Floo network after Ron got stunned the day after Voldemorts defeat when surprising Harry in the middle of the day.

Hermione came in first and welcomed Harry with a hug after cleaning off fireplace ash from her clothes with a wave of her wand. Ron followed shortly after and gave Harry a nod which he returned.

"Did you read the newspaper?" Hermione asked while waving a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had clutched in her hands during her Floo travel.

"Some of it." Harry said truthfully. Ron let out a bitter laugh. Harry knew he was still angry at the loss of Fred.

"Can you believe they are making us go back to school? Like they have anything to teach us." Ron complained before throwing himself into the chair that Kingsley sat in just five minutes before.

"They aren't making anyone Ron." Hermione said. "People don't need seven years of schooling; they just want everyone to be able to take their newts. No one was able to last year."

Harry shrugged. If his friends arrived half an hour ago, he'd have a lot to complain about with them but the marriage contract was far more important than having to go back to school for a year.

"I know that." Ron snapped. "But everyone knows that you need your newts to qualify for most jobs." Hermione nodded. Harry knew what they were both thinking, for he was thinking the same. Fred didn't take his newts.

As the seconds ticked by in silence, Harry figured that this would be as good a change of topic as there could ever be.

"I'm married." Harry said tonelessly. Ron let out a laugh, but Hermione, who was always the more observant could tell that he wasn't joking. Ron caught on quickly and was the first to reply.

"What? If it's Ginny, mum will…" Harry shook his head before Ron could finish and pointed at the contract. Hermione grabbed it with a huff and started to read it as Harry explained what Kingsley had told him only moments before.

"That. That can't be real!" Ron stuttered out. We both looked to Hermione for the answer. Although Harry trusted Kingsley, there was no one's word that he trusted more than Hermione's. She finished reading and looked up. Harry could tell from her pale complexion that he was doomed.

"It's real." She said in disbelieve. Ron took it from her to read for himself and Harry just sat there in a continued surreal state. "Why would anyone do this?" Hermione asked. Harry only had theories.

"It has to be Voldemort. If the contract was for my money, it would be simple to draw up a contract without those conditions. Only Voldemort would make my life miserable in case he lost." Harry said with spite. Neither Hermione nor Ron could bring themselves to argue his point.

"I couldn't bring myself to look at it." Harry said as he tried not to watch Ron's expression as he continued to read the contract. Hermione leaned forward in concern.

"So you don't know who it is?" Hermione asked.

"No. I'm not sure if I want to. I might be better of ignoring it for a long long time." Hermione nodded in understanding.

"Well you have time. It says you don't have to really do anything until you are twenty." Hermione said. Ron however, disagreed.

"You said for yourself that this contract was probably made so Voldemort could benefit in case of your death. The person on this contract can't be all that happy with the conditions either. Do you really want to be looking over your shoulder at every turn?" Ron said, before trying to hand Harry the papers. "Look at it." He demanded. Harry accepted the parchment but paused.

"Is it bad?" Harry asked them, looking from one to the other. Ron shrugged but Hermione replied.

"It could be worse." Harry wasn't sure if he liked that answer all that much, but he took a deep breath before glancing down. Harry James Potter was clear as day on one side of the paper and on the other side was a name he barely recognized.

Daphne Laurel Greengrass.

Harry looked up in thought. "I don't know anything about her." He admitted. Ron shrugged.

Hermione scoffed. "She was in our year."

"What side of the war was she on?" Harry asked. Hermione blushed and mumbled that she didn't know.

"It's strange how little we know of people our age." Ron said. "So what are you going to do?" He asked.

Harry played with the paper in his hands as he wondered just that. If she was alive, he would most likely see her at Hogwarts where he could confront her. He didn't like not knowing where he stood with the girl however. Whether or not she knew about the contract, volunteered for it, or was blackmailed into it. Harry was trying his hardest not to come to conclusions, but it was clear that Voldemort would only put someone's name down that he trusted. Harry put the contract down in a decision.

"I'm going to ignore it." Harry answered. Seeing Hermione open her mouth to argue with disapproval, he explained. "It will be easier to get in contact with her once summer is over, I'm just going to have to make sure she's going to school next year." Hermione nodded with acceptance.

"So I guess that means we're all going back to Hogwarts?" Ron whined.

"Maybe no one will try to kill us this year." Harry laughed. Ron and Hermione cringed.

"You just had to say that." They groaned together.

* * *

_Author Notes: This was going to be a one shot, just a tad extended from this point, but as I was writing this a whole plot seemed to open up in my head, so I decided to stop here as chapter one instead. Unlike most contract stories, I have no desire to see Daphne and Harry fawning over each other by chapter five. _

_Please review, as they keep me going._


	2. Self Righteous?

**Chapter Two: Self Righteous?**

It was September 1st and Harry was packing to go back to school for what was hopefully the last time. It was strange to be eighteen and going back to school when he always pictured this being the year he would start his career; whatever that may be. There would even be some unhappy students who would be turning nineteen before school let out at the end of the year. Hermione wasn't all that pleased that she would be one of them, but he knew that there was no way she'd miss taking her Newts.

The summer for Harry was both long and brief in its passing. On one hand, it had been over a year since Harry and his friends were able to just lay back and relax for an extended period of time, but on the other, it seemed that the rest of his life was written in stone. This bothered him in such a way than no matter how much he tried to relax there was still some part of him that felt the need to destroy everything in sight at the injustice of it all.

Although Harry wanted to hold off on telling Ginny until the news finally sunk in for himself, he knew that he owed her the truth as soon as possible. So the same day Harry found out for himself, he visited The Burrow in order to tell Ginny. It was not an easy conversation to have, but he didn't want her to wait for him to start things back up again when he was now unavailable for the rest of his life. It might have been easier for them if they weren't expecting to get back together after everything settled down. He still remembered the joy on her face as they met in the kitchen for the first time in days, and the anguish as he departed back to Grimmauld Place. The last time Harry asked Ron about Ginny, he just got uncomfortable and implied that she was doing better.

The Weasleys had invited him over countless times over the summer, but he did his best to give Ginny some space; only accepting an invitation when it felt rude to decline. George still hadn't recovered from the loss of his brother and best friend, but Harry and Ron did their best to make sure he was never alone for long.

As Harry had promised to himself, he asked Kingsley for a favor in finding out whether or not Daphne would be going back to school to repeat her last year. Harry wasn't sure how the Minister would find this out but within a day Kingsley had responded to let Harry know that his wife would indeed be enrolled. This was a relief to Harry as he would be able to question her quite regularly about why this all happened.

Normally, Harry would be missing the train to Hogwarts right about now but the new Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall had let all students who were over the age of consent know via owl that apparition into Hogsmeade would be acceptable for those with licenses. Harry supposed that this was a way of lessoning the load of The Hogwarts Express because of the extra first year students.

He finished packing, and with a wave of his wand along with a muttered "Reducio" his luggage was shrunk down enough to fit in his pockets. One last glance to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, he left Grimmauld Place. With a glance around to make sure no one was watching, Harry spun on the spot and reappeared on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. He, Hermione, Ginny and Ron had owled Neville and Luna to meet up in Hogsmeade prior to the start of the term.

As he strolled through Hogsmeade, he saw that he and his friends weren't the only ones who had the idea to meet up early. Various groups of older students could be seen laughing and goofing around throughout the small village. It was a relief to Harry to hear such joyous laughs, rather than the fearful laughs that were an all too common part of Hogwarts life since his sixth year.

Harry entered The Three Broomsticks; it was just as homely as he remembered. Color filled the walls and the smell of food caused his stomach to ache immediately. He quickly found his friends crowded around a table in the back of the inn. "It looks like I'm late." He said as he found a seat next to Neville. Neville gave him a pat on the back.

"We decided to come early." Ron said, raising his mug of butterbeer in greeting. Hermione, Luna and Ginny were the others already present at the table.

"Did you tell them?" Harry asked, gesturing to Luna and Neville. Ginny nodded, but was still clearly unhappy about the whole situation.

"Thanks," Harry breathed as he fully relaxed in his chair. A weight seemed to lift off his shoulders.

"It can't be an easy story to tell." Neville sympathized. Harry just shrugged.

"For what it's worth, Daphne never played hide and seek with my things." Luna offered. Harry allowed himself a small smile.

"Thanks Luna."

Minutes passed in silence before Ron broke the tension. "I heard that Malfoy wasn't coming back."

Hermione raised her head from the book that she had gone back to, "Where could you have possibly heard that?"

"A couple of Slytherins I overheard when I was getting us drinks." He said defensively.

"You mean you eavesdropped." She huffed with disapproval.

Harry wasn't surprised at the rumor that Malfoy would avoid Hogwarts, "Not sure if I'd come back if I were him either."

"Not like he needs his Newts." Neville said, still bitter from all the bullying that he had to suffer through because of that boy.

The conversation continued until it got dark. They say together drinking and laughing as they continued to discuss who would and wouldn't be returning, as well as reminiscing about their friends that had fallen over the last year. Hearing a commotion, Harry looked up to see that everyone was beginning to rise and leave their seats.

"I suppose it's time to start the year." Ron said before finishing the last few drops of butterbeer in his mug and wiping his face with his sleeve.

* * *

Before they knew it, they were sitting at their respective house tables with the remainder of their year sitting together. Parvati and Lavender's absence was a constant reminder of the war. Although Parvati survived the final battle, Lavender's death had hit her hard and she did not bother returning to school. Harry could only imagine how lonely Hermione would be; the only female Gryffindor left in her year.

Harry kept glancing over to the Slytherin table hoping to spot Daphne, but not having much luck. It didn't help that he was having trouble remembering what she looked like. He noticed that Malfoy did indeed appear absent from the table. It took him a few seconds longer but he was finally able to spot her. Her hair was as dark and as wavy as he remembered, and it didn't seem as if she grew much since the last time he saw her. From what little he could remember, she had always been short.

"Just go talk to her." Hermione said. Harry reddened at being caught so obviously staring at the back of Daphne's head.

"He should wait until she's alone," Ron reasoned, "That way he can hex her if he needs to."

"Ron!"

"We were all thinking it." Ron said as his stomach growled. No one disagreed.

"Ron's right," Harry started, "but not so I can curse her. I just don't want everyone knowing." He reasoned.

Harry glanced up at the staff table, wondering if he would recognize any of the new Professors. He was surprised to see that many of them had kept their post even after the war. Besides Defense against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies, the staff was the same. Harry supposed that Professor McGonagall was able to persuade some of the professors to stay for at least a couple more years to help her out.

"Is that…" Harry began.

"Bill?" Ron interjected, "Yeah. Fleur asked him to give up curse breaking for awhile." Hermione followed Harry's gaze to the staff table at Ron's words as Ginny mumbled something under her breath. Harry smiled as he heard the word phlegm.

"He must be teaching Defense." Hermione said suddenly in thought.

"And that's Penelope Clearwater." Ginny said, nodding at the other newcomer. Harry focused more intently on the blond and realized that, sure enough, Percy's old girlfriend had joined the staff as well.

"That leaves her with Muggle Studies." Hermione concluded. "She's Muggleborn too."

The sorting went by smoothly except for Ron, whose stomach was growling angrily by the time they got to the J's. Although Harry was ready for a large meal before he arrived at Hogwarts, he found himself without much of an appetite as he was reminded of his marriage, so he settled on a light meal while Ron piled his plate up to its full capacity.

As dinner finished, McGonagall got up to stand before a hall full of tired students, "It pleases me to see so many faces this year at Hogwarts; even some that I hadn't expected to see." She said as she eyed the returning seventh years before fixing her gaze on Harry. She let the students glance around themselves before continuing. "I know many of you will find this year less taxing than prior years due to a repeat of courses. I hope many of you will be spending time on your own to expand your knowledge beyond what our staff will offer you. I expect none of my students will find this year as an excuse to fool around." Students ages eleven through eighteen shifted guiltily in their seats as her gaze made another sweep across to hall. The Headmistress let herself smile. "That's not to say there isn't a time or place for such things." The hall gave a nervous chuckle in response. "Now, I'm sure many of you are tired after the long day and the large meal so please feel free to head off to your dorms. Prefects, if you'll please lead the first years up to their rooms. You will find them expanded to accommodate the extra students."

* * *

As the first week of school ended, Harry had to admit that he was glad that he came back to school. Although he had learned plenty of practical magic and combat magic over the last year while chasing down the Horcruxes, he still had a lot of room for improvement and his classes were helping him with that. His class list was reasonably short this year, since he was only attending classes for DADA, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms and Herbology. He would have dropped Herbology as well if it wasn't so important for Potions and to Neville. His goal was to study more topics that interested him in his spare time rather than load up on classes that he'd only have to feign interest in. The lessons themselves were still interesting as he never took any of the classes before. Some of the other Seventh year's that did attend Hogwarts last year weren't so lucky, and Harry heard a lot of complaining in the first week as they had to sit through the same classes twice.

The DADA class was great, if not a little dull. Bill Weasley clearly knew his stuff, and even though Harry had long perfected the spells being taught in the class, he knew he could use practice casting the same spells silently with full power. There was on occasion a spell or two that he had not learned, and he found that Bill was quite capable at teaching a new spell to a group of students near his own age.

If Harry ever found himself in a class where he already perfected what was being taught, he'd team up with Ron, Hermione and sometimes Neville to learn new spells or to perfect older ones. Bill noticed this immediately but didn't seem to mind.

Harry was far less skilled in Transfiguration, and although he knew the basics of conjuration, he still had miles to go before he could make items appear with only a wave of his wand. McGonagall was still teaching the class on top of her Headmistress duties, although she did give up her Head of House duties to Bill. Hermione tried to get Harry and Ron interested in learning how to become Animagi but neither of them thought the effort was worth it. She continued to pester them about it however, and Harry knew that they'd both eventually cave in to her.

As the first weekend approached, Harry finally admitted to himself that it was time to confront Daphne. He had taken to ignoring her completely in shared classes, which wasn't all that unusual for him when it came to any Slytherin but she had not said one word to him either. Harry was starting to doubt if she even knew about the contract and their marriage.

Just as breakfast finished, he used the Marauder's Map to pinpoint what direction she was heading to in order to cut her off without much fuss. He quickly found her name along side Tracey Davis heading in the direction of the Slytherin Common Room. Saying a quick goodbye to his friends, he got up from the table and just about sprinted to catch up to them. He ignored the frightened looks of some of the younger students as he side stepped them in his rush to not lose his nerve. He did however slow to a walk as they came into view.

"Daphne!" He called out. They both jumped before turning around. He saw that each of them had reached for their wands, but relaxed their grips slightly upon seeing him. Tracey stood defensive but Daphne seemed to pale slightly. She then leaned over and whispered something to Tracey. Tracey glared at him briefly before nodding to her friend and walking the opposite direction. Harry ignored the other students around as he focused intently on her to make sure she didn't try to flee.

Daphne stood still as he caught up to her. He reached a hand into his bag and brought out the contract before forcing it upon her. She grimaced but accepted it. She showed no emotion as she read it. Finally she looked up and handed it back to him, her brown eyes showing only acceptance.

"Oh." She said.

"Oh? So you knew?" Harry asked. He felt the immediate urge to take out his wand, but ignored it.

"Of course I knew." She scoffed.

"Well I didn't!" He said, slightly hysterical. She just shrugged. "Who did this?" He demanded, waving the contract around. She crossed her arms.

"What do you mean?" She asked. He was sure she was trying to avoid the question on purpose.

"I mean." Harry started, taking a deep breath and saying in a whisper that only she could hear. "Why the hell are we married?"

"How much gold is in your vault?" She asked suddenly, seemingly ignoring his question.

"Huh?"

"Well. You wanted to know why, and I'd guess the amount of gold in your vault is why." She said snidely. She may have been Slytherin, but he could tell that she knew more than she was letting on.

"Did you do it?" He asked, hoping the accusation would get something truthful out of her. She glared in response.

"I'm not that desperate Potter." She scoffed, still reluctant to tell him anything. She looked up and focused her glare on a younger student that was taking interest in their conversation. The young Slytherin fled behind the corner.

"Please Daphne. I just want answers." He pleaded with her as he grabbed her shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring way. She stared at him for a minute before her stance softened up a bit as she gave in. She walked to the classroom to the left of them and beckoned at him.

"Fine. Come in here." She insisted. Harry felt no reason to refuse, and soon they were sitting on tables across from each other in a long abandoned classroom. She seemed much calmer alone in the room with him. Harry reasoned that she didn't want anyone to know the truth. Harry just hoped that she would come clean now that they were alone.

She used her finger to trace an image only she could see on the table absently as she thought of what to tell him. Harry's temper started flaring up at the continued wait. "My parents were never Death Eaters." She started. His anger was replace with confusion as he raised his eyebrows at the surprising confession.

"What does that have to…?" Harry started, but she looked up in annoyance and he cut himself off.

"The problem was that they didn't have many friends who weren't." She explained. "It was expected of them."

"Why weren't they?" He asked. She looked angry, but he wasn't sure why.

"My father knows what Death Eaters are expected to do." She blanched at the thought. "Although he does not wish for muggles to be mixed into our world, he holds no desire to risk his life and family to have them purged from existence."

"What did he do?" Harry asked, finding himself more concerned about her family than he thought possible.

"He did what our family has always done." She smiled. "He threw money at the problem. It worked too; he went through the first war without any trouble. He was able to sit safely at home while his vault took care of it."

"I never thought Voldemort was that desperate for gold." Harry said, ignoring her wince at using his name.

"He knew the importance of it, and once it was time to take control of the Ministry, all that gold he saved vanished over night." She explained. "He didn't curse everyone at the ministry into compliance. He knew that the easiest way to the top was to bribe the ones at the bottom, and that's what he did."

"What does this have to do with the contract?" Harry asked. She seemed to grow nervous.

"As soon as he controlled the ministry, he no longer held much concern for the small sums of gold that my father was giving him, he wanted more. My father ran out of gold rather quickly" She admitted. "When that happened, he demanded my father's service. My father was not a fighter, but he was good with money, and that's when he came up with a couple of illegal options for quick access to vaults full of gold. He offered them up, hoping that it would be enough to earn his favor." Daphne finished, trailing off in a whisper.

"So, Voldemort just decided to marry us?" Harry asked, appalled at the answer. Daphne shook her head.

"The Dark Lord liked the idea so much that he demanded that you would be the first target since he was sure that he would kill you. He loved the idea of taking your vault as a trophy from your death. To make sure my father was being honest and that the plan would work; he volunteered me as your wife. My father didn't have a choice." She finished, but Harry could tell she was trying to convince herself as much as he.

"And you knew about it being a magical contract." Harry accused.

"Of course!" She yelled. "You were as good as dead anyway. What did it matter if my first husband was the fallen savior if it ensured my families safety?" Harry fell silent in shock.

"You were that sure of my death?" He whispered.

"Everyone was." She said with emotion. "Why do you think he had so many followers? To most of us the war was already over; it was just a matter of whether or not we were on the winning side."

"While you had all given up, some of us were risking our lives every day to fight for you." He spit out, clenching his fist. The people who refused to fight were just as guilty in his mind for the death of all his friends.

"Well maybe you should have ran." She suggested while looking at her hands in shame.

"Do you have no morals?" Harry said in shock as the anger left his body. He knew what he said was a mistake when she jerked her head away from him, but before he could take it back, Daphne launched herself off the table, shoving him aside as she ran to the door. Before exiting, she turned around and Harry saw tears in her eyes.

"You ever consider that you have too many?" She asked. Before Harry could recover she disappeared out the door. He looked at the empty spot that Daphne sat in just moments before.

"I'm an arse." He told the table.

* * *

Later that day, Harry sat with his friends around a large table in a corner of the library as he told them about his encounter with Daphne. Although Daphne obviously did not want the news to go around, Harry knew that he could trust his friends.

"You arse." Neville said in jest after a minute went by in silence. Ginny wasn't so sure.

"Her father plotted to steal all of Harry's gold on his death. I would have done more than questioned her morals when she agreed to it." Ginny said angrily while fingering her wand. Harry smiled weakly at her, but she failed to meet his gaze.

"To be fair, you are a tad self righteous." Hermione said as she turned the page of her book.

"No I'm not." Harry denied, feeling slightly betrayed at one of his oldest friends.

"You kind of are mate." Ron agreed with his girlfriend. Neville and Luna both nodded with Ron as Harry slumped unhappily in his chair.

"Now who are being arses?" He grumbled.

* * *

_Author Notes: Thank you everyone who reviewed, I'm glad that the marriage contract plot point didn't turn you all away. I like the idea, but I never ever read anything done remotely well. I will probably fail miserably at it as well but I can try._

_edit: To whole thing of Harry calling himself an arse was just him feeling guilty, and Neville repeating it was only in jest. I say this because a couple of reviews state that Harry was being pretty calm about the whole thing, and he's not an ass. I agree. But friends teasing friends is just what they do.  
_

_Because of a review I changed the name of this story to Legality (Which I like more) and gave Daphne a middle name in the first chapter: "Laurel."_

_I do have one review reply that I want to give in these notes, as it was anonymous, and I can't stand having a review I can't reply to._

_SableCold: After your review I went back to try to explain it better in the first chapter, but I couldn't get anything in without it looking out of place and repetitive,, so I'll say it here. _

_The contract 'is' completely illegal, but that doesn't stop it from being magically binding. Just like in Goblet of Fire, someone illegally put Harry's name in the cup, but he still had to compete._

_Please read and review, and I'll try to get another chapter out before long._


	3. Quidditch?

**Chapter Three: Quidditch?**

It wasn't longer after, that Hermione finished the book she had been working on for a majority of the day, giving Harry the window he needed.

"You ready Hermione?" Harry asked with a smile. She looked up, confused at first but she started to grin.

"You mean it?"

Harry nodded and watched as she launched herself into the aisle of books. Although Ron didn't seem to notice his girlfriend's behavior, Neville had stopped in the middle of writing his essay to stare at the blur moving through the library.

"What did you do to her?" Neville asked. Harry continued to smile without a word as Hermione came back with a stack of books in her hands.

"I know you said you didn't want me to look into it for you, but I did notice some books that could help." Hermione said as she placed the pile on the table with the help of Ron. Harry had to hold his breath as a dust cloud expanded around them. Harry decided to answer Neville as Hermione opened the first of many books.

"She has been wanting to help me find a way out of the contract for almost two months now." Harry explained as Hermione began to move her lips to the words. "But I made her agree to not take it upon herself until the summer was over and I talked to Daphne. I figured the more I knew about the situation than the less work Hermione would have."

"I figured she already looked and couldn't find anything." Neville said. He started to inch himself away from Hermione, who's mountain of books seemed to be growing closer to her without her touching them. Hermione snorted from behind a book.

"He already knew he might be able to get out of it if he put Daphne to trial." Hermione said as she flipped a page. Harry never thought this was a real option.

"If she was found guilty, she would have been kissed. I needed to know more." Harry defended himself. "And look, I was right. Daphne shouldn't be kissed just because she was trying to protect her father."

"Like Hermione said." Ron laughed. "Self righteous."

"I'd rather be self righteous than a prick." Harry laughed, punching Ron on the shoulder

"Oy!" Ron grimaced.

"Hmm." Hermione mumbled. Harry perked up with hope.

"Find anything?"

"It looks like you can void the contract." Hermione mumbled. "But someone would have to be at fault for the forgery and face death. A Dementor's Kiss to be exact."

"Well, Voldemort is clearly…" Harry stopped as she interrupted him.

"Their name has to be on the contract. Either you, Daphne, or the witnesses."

"Witnesses?" Harry asked as he took the sheet out of his bag. It took him a moment, but there they were; Prius Thicknesse for Harry Potter and Alexander Greengrass for Daphne Greengrass. Harry frowned at the revelation.

"Prius was under the Imperius Curse." Ron said, looking over Harry's shoulder at the paper. Even the ministry didn't make a habit of sending people to death when they had no control over their actions.

"So that only leaves Daphne's father." Harry said in thought. Sure, the man could have ran, or even joined the fight against Voldemort like many others had done, but Harry didn't fault the man for trying to reason with Voldemort in order to get guaranteed protection for his family.

However, the way he went about it could have hurt the future of dozens of other families. But did that justify leaving a widow and two fatherless children? Harry wished he was someone who could just let the ministry handle the situation, but with the long history of corruption, he knew that he would never stop wondering if he had done the right thing. Sure, Kingsley was the new Minister and would try his hardest to make sure the trial was fair, but many people held the same jobs as they held prior to the war, and they did not have his trust.

"You're going to talk to him aren't you?" Neville asked in resignation. Harry nodded.

"I have to. I can't just put a man to death without knowing his story."

"That's what a trial is for." Hermione said, exasperated. "It's their job to hear the truth."

"Yeah," Harry let out a laugh. "Because wizard trials have always been so reliable." The conversation died as they remember Sirius, and even Hagrid's false imprisonment.

"Harry Potter 1. Ministry 0." Luna mumbled, effortlessly breaking the tension as they laughed with her.

* * *

Although Hermione kept researching throughout the weekend, she couldn't find anything else. Harry half suspected that Hermione had already done some research before, and that's why she found the answers so quick, but he didn't dare accuse her of it. The group was busy with schoolwork over the weekend, and because of this, Harry never really got a chance to talk to Daphne again. Although he didn't feel like what he said was overly harsh, he did feel guilty for hurting her feelings.

Their potions class on Monday was the perfect opportunity to fix his relationship with her. The class was still being taught by Professor Slughorn, who seemed to love Harry more because of his new found fame. Harry wondered if Slughorn staying out of retirement had anything to do with Harry returning for the year.

"Harry my boy! Still in potions I see." Slughorn greeted from his desk as Harry entered the class. Harry was on his standard path to the seats at the back of the class where Hermione and Ron were waiting for him but changed direction and took a seat near the middle.

"Hello." Harry said. He had taken a seat normally reserved for Slytherins, and Daphne was beside him in mid conversation with Tracey. She jumped a tad before turning around. She did not seem happy to see him.

"What are you doing?" She hissed. She looked around suspiciously to make sure no one was taking interest.

"What? You don't think a married couple should sit together?" Harry teased, making sure to over pronounce the word married. Daphne shoulders slumped in acceptance. Harry grew serious.

"Sorry about before." Harry said, trying to make peace. She shrugged.

"You were right." She mumbled. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I was?" Harry asked. She nodded with a frown.

"At the time, it seemed like our only option." She explained. "What was stealing some gold sitting unused in a vault if it meant that my father, mother and sister would be alright?"

"And now?" Harry asked. She moved restlessly in her chair for a moment before answering.

"I know it sounds bad, but it seems worse now that you lived. I mean, before it was all about money, and I knew you at least a little from school. I was sure you'd give up all the gold in your vault if it meant saving four people." Harry nodded along, not really disagreeing with that statement. "But now it's about your whole future. Who you have to marry, who you have to grow old with, and who you have to raise a family with. I never really entertained the thought of you surviving the war to think about these things." She said as she bowed her head down to hide her face. Tracey squeezed her shoulder in support. She seemed to know all about Daphne and Harry's situation. Harry was torn between feeling glad that she was upset, and feeling an urge to comfort her. He lightly touched her arm to get her attention.

"I really was wrong, you know." He whispered. "You have plenty of morals, even if they spend most of there time in hiding." He said with a smile. She relaxed with a nod and it was Harry's turn to grow uncomfortable. He had sat next to Daphne for another reason, and he had to see it through. "I was hoping that I could talk to your dad." Harry suggested after a moment. She grew rigid in response and the emotional girl was gone in an instant.

"Why?" She lifted her head and searched his eyes with her own. Harry had the urge to look away, but was able to hold her gaze.

"I need to hear his side, and then maybe we can move past this." Harry watched as her brown eyes became guarded in an instant.

"I'll ask." She said shortly.

"You think you can get him to meet me during the first Hogsmeade weekend?" Harry insisted.

"I'll ask." She repeated. Her eyes flickered one last time to his before she turned and continued her conversation with Tracey. Feeling as if he was dismissed, Harry left them and went back to sit with his friends. The class was about the start, and he was glad that he had for foresight to turn up for potions earlier than normal.

Although Daphne went back to her old, closed-off self, he caught a glimpse of what was behind the mask and he believed now more than ever that he was doing the right thing by not jumping the gun and sending one of them to trial. Alexander Greengrass was his last chance of becoming free of this marriage. It was a strange thing to ask for, but Harry wished with all his heart that Alexander was a murderer and maybe even a Dark Lord in the making. Harry would have no trouble sending such a person to trial.

As Harry sat down, Hermione and Ron both sent him questioning glances.

"Later." He said as Professor Slughorn got up from his desk to begin the lesson.

* * *

Because of the amount of school work they had the night before, by the following morning Harry still hadn't discussed the outcome of his talk with Daphne to either of his friends. It seemed to have slipped their minds as well, because it wasn't until the middle of breakfast that Hermione was reminded about it.

"So did you get a meeting with her dad?" She asked. Harry wasn't completely sure.

"She said she'd ask, but she didn't seem all that happy about it."

"Well, her dad is the head of her family; he must have told her what the repercussions could be. Maybe she's worried." She rationalized.

"Or she's lying." Ron said after swallowing a mouth full of food. Harry raised an eyebrow, but Ron went back to his food. Neville must have been following the same train of thought however.

"She told you her side of the story, but maybe that was just something she made up to get her dad and herself out of trouble." Neville explained, raising a good point.

"But that wouldn't stop her from telling her dad everything she made up prior to our meeting." Harry said. A frown marred his face as he started thinking of a way to solve the problem. He absentmindedly paid for his morning post as he narrowed down his options.

"Erm. Harry. You might want to see this." Hermione suggested. Harry looked up and saw her reading the Daily Prophet. He grabbed his own copy and read the front page.

**Malfoy Sentenced To Death**

_The acts of a death eater are unforgivable in the eyes of the ministry, yet it was with great surprise earlier in the summer when the whole Malfoy family was pardoned for all their past crimes because of a last minute change in loyalties. However, the behavior of Narcissa Malfoy saved the life of our savior, Harry Potter, and we were able to put the past behind us. Unfortunately, new information has made itself known. A marriage contract was found in possession of the ministry with illegal ties to the Malfoy family. When a young Mrs. Susan Bones was found to be an unwilling participant in the marriage, a trial was held in secret, and the outcome did not bode well for the Malfoy family. _

_A magical contract is a sacred thing between two consenting adults, and if a party can not be present at the time of the contract, a witness would be put in their place. The duty of a witness would be to provide proof of consent to the terms for both sides. If it can be proven to the ministry that the contract was not signed with the consent of both parties, than it can be broken with a Dementor's Kiss._

_Lucius Malfoy was found guilty of magical contract forgery and sentenced to death by Dementor's Kiss. Many of you may find this punishment cruel and without justice but magical contract forgeries are a heinous crime in the eyes of the ministry, and a Dementor's Kiss is the only way to break a contract without the innocent suffering from a loss of magic._

_There have been rumors throughout the ministry that a similar contract exists. If there is any truth to these rumors, whoever's name the contract is under has not stepped forward. Our loyal readers will be the first to hear of any further developments._

Looking up, Harry saw many of the students put down their papers in order to discuss the shocking news among their friends. Whispers could be heard throughout the hall. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Susan was able to get out of the contract very easily, but it cost Lucius Malfoy his life. The man was an arrogant bigot and stood for everything Harry hated, but in the end, he had put his family first when he chose Draco over Voldemort.

"Their money couldn't buy them out this time." Ron said with spite.

"I guess we know why Malfoy didn't come back this year." Neville reasoned as he finished the article. Harry nodded and looked over at the Hufflepuff table. Susan's friends didn't seem shocked at the news.

"I don't remember seeing Susan either." Harry said before glancing at the Slytherin table to see Daphne's reaction to the article. At first glance, she seemed perfectly fine, but on closer inspection he could see that she wasn't. She wasn't bringing any attention to herself, but Harry could tell that she was paler than normal and her hands were gripping the table hard in an effort to keep herself from shaking. Her eyes shifted to Harry's, and even across the hall he could see the panic in them. Tracey seemed to be doing her best to break her out of her shock with slight shoves. Her reaction reminded Harry of the decision he had made before reading the article.

"You know where I could get some Veritaserum?" Harry asked in a whisper as Daphne recovered enough to release her death grip on the table.

"For Mr. Greengrass?" Ron asked, clearly on the same page as Harry.

"It wouldn't feel right to use it on Daphne just in case she's telling the truth, but I don't think anyone can blame me for asking him to take it." Harry said.

"It's highly restricted. You could go to Azkaban just for using it." Hermione hissed, but she seemed to perk up at the challenge.

"I'm sure Snape had some saved so he could dose the Gryffindors." Ron muttered before proceeding to insult the man under his breath. No matter how much the man had done to avenge Harry's mother's death, there was no redemption in Ron's mind.

"You think you can brew it?" Harry asked, knowing to never underestimate Hermione's skills. She frowned in thought for a moment but eventually shook her head.

"It requires some pretty rare ingredients, a month of brew time, and constant supervision." She explained.

"I doubt McGonagall would let me browse through Snape's old things; no matter the reason." Harry said with a frown.

"I wouldn't go near his things mate." Neville said, looking nervous. "You might not make it out alive." Harry laughed. Neville could face down Voldemort with barely a whimper, but just the thought of his old Potions Professor gave him nightmares.

"He's right you know." Hermione said. "It wouldn't surprise me if he left traps for snooping students. Especially with how much danger he was in last year."

Harry nodded. He supposed he could go the easiest route and ask Kingsley for a favor first. If that didn't work, he would have to take a chance with Snape's paranoia. After breakfast he would send a school owl off to the Ministry to ask Kingsley for his help.

Watching the last owl fly out of the Great Hall, Harry had the sudden urge to take his broom for a spin.

"Did any of you hear anything about quidditch tryouts?" Harry asked, feeling excitement for the first time all year. Ron, who Harry expected to join the conversation immediately with a time, date, and place, only pushed food around in his plate as he frowned. On the opposite side of him, Hermione wouldn't quite meet his eye.

"Gryffindor is keeping their team from last year." Neville said, oblivious to the tension among the three.

"Oh." Harry said as all traces of excitement left his body.

"Ginny thinks that it wouldn't be fair to the team if they redid the tryouts." Ron said.

"What? Why? Gryffindor always holds tryouts." Harry complained, hoping this was just a misunderstanding.

"Well, last year after the teams were all set, Gryffindor looked like favorites for the cup. Snape did not seem happy with the Slytherin team, and so he just shut down Quidditch." Hermione explained.

"Why do you guys know this and I don't?" Harry didn't like being left out of the loop, especially when the loop apparently consisted of everyone but him.

"Ginny told us about it during the summer." Ron replied as he stabbed a fried potato rather forcefully. Ron had clearly not forgiven Ginny for the decision.

"She's the captain, right?" Harry asked. Maybe he would be able to convince her to hold tryouts, or at least allow him to come and practice as a backup.

Ron nodded. "Don't expect her to change her mind. I tried to blackmail her half a dozen ways and she didn't budge." Ron grumbled. Harry knew that he wouldn't be able to accept this without asking her himself. Getting up from his seat, he walked down the length of the table to where Ginny sat with her sixth year friends.

"Can I talk to you a minute? Privately?" Harry asked after getting her attention. Her face scrunched up in confusion but she nodded. Telling her friends that she'd be a moment, she got up and followed him out of the great hall. He didn't bother to find a more secluded spot, and as soon as the doors to the hall closed, he turned to face her.

"Ron told me about quidditch." Harry told her. Ginny went from confused to defensive in an instant as she crossed her arms.

"I already told Ron that I can't change my mind." She began, her lips pinched in annoyance. "We agreed as a team that we would stay together. I know that this was your team but it's not like I knew that you'd be returning, so you can't make me feel guilty, and besides…" Harry raised his hands in surrender and she cut herself off with a blush.

"Relax." Harry soothed. "I was just wondering if there was a chance that I could practice with the team. Maybe become a backup or help out a little." Ginny didn't seem to like the idea all that much as she shook her head.

"With you there, it will be hard for me to captain the team. Everyone respects you. Plus, I don't want our new seeker to feel pressured to be better than you." She reasoned. Harry nodded in understanding.

"It's just… I've been a seeker for six years for Gryffindor, but it doesn't really seem like it's been that long. You know?" Harry said emotionally. "First year, I missed the final because of Voldemort. Second year, quidditch was canceled because of Voldemort. Third year was great." Harry reminisced with a smile. "But there was nothing fourth year because of the Tournament, and you remember what happened fifth and sixth year." Harry said as he beamed at Ginny in pride. She returned it as she remembered her own victories.

"If I could have just one more season to say goodbye to the game it would mean a lot for me." Harry begged. "You have my word that if I cause any sort of distraction then I will quit the team." He promised. He didn't want to say anything to Ginny, but playing quidditch would also do wonders to distract him from thinking about his marriage.

Ginny eyed him suspiciously for a moment. She was clearly protective of her teammates but she finally relaxed. "Alright." She agreed with a nod. Harry let out a relieved laugh and couldn't himself as he gathered her in a tight hug. He let go as she stiffened in response.

"Sorry." Harry mumbled and stepped back from her. She nodded stiffly.

"It's just… hard to let go." She explained before trying to smile. To Harry it just looked like a grimace. She walked away and reentered the great hall, but not before calling out the times that they would have practice.

"Maybe you won't have to let go." Harry whispered to himself after a minute, his mind going back to his plan on getting a hold of some veritaserum.

* * *

_Author Notes: One thing I would like to say in response to some reviews is that Harry, Hermione and Ron have been friends for seven years now and they are adults. They will do what all adults do at that age, they will tease each other. It's a common thing among friends, and it's actually a good way to relieve tension. Don't take what they say to each other all that seriously. They don't._

_Also, there are some concerns about the possibility of the marriage contract happening in canon, and I'm not really going to argue with anyone about it. It probably isn't possible for a variety of reasons, but I hope that it doesn't cause anyone to lose interest in the story. I refuse to look over my shoulder at every turn for potential plot holes, because it just takes the fun right out of writing for me._

_Although I do appreciate the concerns, and some reviews make me think a way that I normally wouldn't have, but as long as it's slightly realistic, than it's good enough for me._


End file.
